Atlanta water main break causes major disruptions, closures

Atlanta authorities were slowly clamping down on the city’s water system Saturday after corroded water pipes burst in downtown and midtown, forcing the closure of many businesses and attractions and affecting water service to Atlanta homes. region.

The city was distributing cases of water and installing portable toilets at several fire stations and first responders were checking high-rise homes to see if elderly or other vulnerable residents were OK.

“Water is a valuable and critical resource and cities cannot function and lives cannot function without it,” Mayor Andre Dickens said during a Saturday morning news conference. “It’s absolutely at the top of our list.”

At a second press conference on Saturday night, Dickens announced that he had declared a state of emergency over the situation. The mayor said that while crews had made significant progress repairing the first water main break, they were struggling with the second.

“We’re still dealing with the second major rupture… the repair was a little more complicated for a couple of reasons… We don’t yet have an estimate of a timeline for that work,” Dickens said.

And in a statement Saturday night, the mayor’s office said crews “have completed several rounds of repairs” and that “the system is gradually being brought back into service to allow system pressures to rebuild.”

A boil water advisory was still in effect for much of Atlantahowever, until the Georgia Division of Environmental Protection determines the notice may be suspended.

According to CBS affiliate WANF-TVthe Georgia State Capitol, the Georgia Supreme Court and Atlanta City Hall did not have water service on Friday.

Some attractions and businesses, including the Georgia Aquarium and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, remained closed Saturday.

“The citywide water issue is still affecting the Aquarium and many others in the area. This is not affecting our animals, but it is affecting our guest areas such as the bathrooms,” the aquarium posted on social platform X.

The aquarium was expected to reopen on Sunday, according to WANF.

The water supply disruption also forced rapper Megan Thee Stallion to move her show from Friday to Sunday.

“I’m extremely disappointed because I had a big surprise for the Hotties tonight, but we will follow the mayor’s protocol,” she said. posted in X. “Praying for the people who have lost access to water due to this situation.”

The problems began Friday morning when water gushed into the street where three large water mains cross downtown, causing water problems at two hospitals, a city jail, a county jail and local shelters. A separate break occurred later in Midtown, adding to the problem.

Authorities have been widely criticized for being slow to update citizens on the situation. The city and its water management department sent an update after 8pm on Friday and waited more than 12 hours to update residents again. Dickens only spoke to the media at 2pm on Saturday and explained that he was in Memphis when the trouble began.

Someone in the affected area posted flyers around the neighborhood asking “No water?” and “Help us find our mayor.”

Dickens promised updates every two hours until the situation is resolved.

“Overnight, we didn’t do the best job of communicating. We could have done a better job the day before and I apologize for that,” he said.

Residents have been asked to restrict water use to allow pressure in the system to rebuild.

“We certainly understand the urgency of restoring water service, but we also want to make sure we do it in a way that doesn’t cause any additional regression in our work,” said Atlanta Department of Watershed Management Commissioner Al Wiggins Jr. Saturday press conference. “Any water utility is a fragile setup.”

He said he expects service to be fully restored by Saturday, but cannot guarantee that.

The city asked people to check on elderly or sick neighbors and relatives.

“The entire city government is mobilized to resolve this issue,” the water department said on Friday.